Holidy was first used as a surname in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Briton. The first Holidy family lived near the mountain called Holy Day in the county of Annandale. However some sources claim the "name is derived from the slogan or war cry of the family 'a holy day, a holy day.'" [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.[2]CITATION[CLOSE]Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print

Early Origins of the Holidy family

The surname Holidy was first found in Annandale. "The Hallidays of Hoddom, Dumfriesshire, were an old family there, and probably gave their name to Halliday Hill in the parish of Dalton." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3) One of the first records of the family was found in 1303 when Adam de Halide was a juror on inquest at St. Andrews. A few years later, John Halyday was an archer of the East March in 1404 and Ambrose Halyday and David Halyday were merchants in Edinburgh in 1479.

Despite the general understanding that the family was Scottish in origin, early records in England, specifically the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Richard Haliday in Buckinghamshire; and Gerard Haliday in Suffolk. Later the YorkshirePoll Tax Rolls of 1379, listed: Willelmus Haliday; Johannes Halyday; and Adam Halyday. [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) The reader should be reminded that Yorkshire's proximity to the Scottish border probably points to the aforementioned Scottish origin.

One romantic source notes: "A well-known Scottish Border Clan, who from their great animosity against the Southron are said to have adopted the war-cry or slogan of A Holy Day, (Scottice, 'a Haly Day'), because the chiefs and people of Annandale, whenever they made a raid or foray upon the Saxon border, accounted the day spent in rapine and slaughter a holy one. " [5]CITATION[CLOSE]Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.

Holidy Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Holidy has been spelled Halliday, Haliday and others.

Early Notables of the Holidy family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family at this time was Walter Halliday (also spelled Haliday, Halyday, and Holliday), Scottish royal minstrel at the battle of Agincourt in 1415, thought to be son of the chieftain of Annandale in Dumfries, founder member of a minstrels' guild, now known as the Worshipful Company of Musicians... Another 127 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holidy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Holidy family to Ireland

Some of the Holidy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.Another 229 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Holidy family to the New World and Oceana

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them: Joseph Halliday settled in Barbados in 1686; John Halliday settled in Maryland in 1775; James Halliday settled in Petersburg Virginia in 1822; along with his father David..

The Holidy Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.